Diabetes is a growing epidemic in low-income communities due to poor health education and the lack of accessibility to healthier food options and supermarkets. Instead of high-quality food right outside their door, they're left to choose meals from fast food and convenience stores selling high-fat, high-sugar, and processed foods.

In 2011, President Obama took hold of this problem and allocated $400 million of the nation's budget to establish a National Healthy Food Financing Initiative. The HFFI supports projects that increase access to healthy, affordable food in communities that currently lack these options.

Today this initiative is accessible to all developers and grocers, but we need to make a push for their involvement! Studies have shown that the initiative has been making an impact by improving and revitalizing the health of low-income communities, where these grocers have been developed. But, as a number of them can be found in some low-income communities, not every community that is in need has been hit.

Let's give these grocers a heads-up! Sign this petition to help emphasize the importance of their presence for the health of low-income communities who do not have access to healthy foods.

Let's tell grocery store chains to take advantage of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative. Their presence will make a healthier change in preventing type 2 diabetes in low-income communities!

"The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) supports projects that increase access to healthy, affordable food in communities that currently lack these options. Through a range of programs at the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Treasury, and Health and Human Services (HHS), HFFI will expand the availability of nutritious food, including developing and equipping grocery stores, small retailers, corner stores, and farmers markets selling healthy food. Residents of these communities, which are sometimes called "food deserts," typically rely on fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer little or no fresh food. Healthy food options are hard to find in these communities or are unaffordable."

Since the initiative's launch, it has allocated $77 million and counting, and the President has requested $285 million for the fiscal year 2013 budget.

In 2012, $47.8 million of the year's $125 million initiative funds was awarded to 19 Community Development Financial Institutions across 10 states. A number of these organizations serve major urban markets, rural markets and a combination of other markets. This is only an example of the impact that this initiative has been making in communities.

The Petition:

Dear:

Robert Edwards, Safeway CEO
David Dillon, CEO of Kroger Co.
Robert Miller, CEO of Albertson's LLC

Since the implementation of President Obama's National Healthy Food Financing Initiative, there have been great strides in providing healthy food options and groceries in low-income neighborhoods. But we'd like to see this initiative make more headway with your involvement.

As nationally-known grocery stores, the connection, impact, and nutritious food you can provide to these communities can be the means to prevent or minimize the rate of obesity and diabetes amongst adults and children in America.

We've only begun to raise awareness for the need of healthy food in these low-income communities, but studies have also shown your presence has contributed to these communities' economic development. You will not only provide fresh foods but will create jobs, and bring a healthier life back to these communities, raising community moral.

You are the first step to providing healthy food and opening the eyes of these to low-income communities to a better way of living. It's your turn to utilize this initiative, do your part, and make the change.

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